This memorial website was created in memory of our loved one, Bill Lee, 86, born on April 11, 1930 and passed away on October 7, 2016. We will remember him forever.             

In lieu of flowers; the family asks that contributions be sent in Bill's name to the non-profit Southwest Boulevard Family Health Care Clinic at 340 Southwest Boulevard Kansas CIty, Kansas 66103 (913-722-3100) where Bill's daughter, Sharon works.  www.swbfhc.org  

Billy Jr. Lee, 86, pilot, flight instructor and author on piloting, died Friday October 7, 2016 with his family close at his bedside after losing a battle with a rare disease. Bill was born in Kansas City, Kansas on April 11, 1930 to Willie and Stella (Boyd) Lee.

He left behind the love of his life of more than seventy years, Donna May (Davis) Lee. He is survived by his wife; daughter, Sharon Lee and son, Art Lee, grandchildren Erin, Ash, Loren and Holly and great-granddaughter Eleanor; a sister, June Dwyer  of Tulsa, Oklahoma; and a brother, Charles "Bud" and his wife Daphene of Salina, Kansas. He was predeceased by his mother, father; a brother Boyd Lee and sister Doris (Lee) Lewis.


Donna shares the following-

My husband of nearly 68 years was a kind and gentle man.

We met as teenagers, dated all through high school and married when we were 18. Bill was really close to my Dad and my Mom decided he was the one for me when she first met him.

 Our life was not without troubles, but no matter what went wrong- big or little, I could talk with him and he would say “Don’t worry, honey, we’ll take care of it.” And he did. He was a great husband and father, always a gentleman and loving person, always ready to lend a helping hand to friends.

 To him life was all about Family and Friends, Fishing and Flying.

Family- His Mom died when he was ten and thereafter he helped with his four siblings including his little “Buddy”, June and Doris. Times were really hard and Bill and his next brother Boyd were sent for a while to live with cousins, working as farmhands even at that young age. Bill looked out for Boyd and even though he was smaller than many, the other kids soon learned not to mess with the Lee boys. Family was so important. He tried to stay close with Art, his son, and his children, even though they moved far away. One of his few regrets was not having enough money to bring them home more often.

Fishing- Bill loved to fish. Fishing was such an enjoyment, especially with my Father Arthur Davis, his brothers Boyd and Bud and his best friends Charlie and Bob. To him a good time was a day in the boat, catching some bass and then coming home to fry them up. One way he shared his interest with his family and kept us all close was that he took me and the kids out fishing with him even at four in the morning. He did not understand why we were not all that excited to sit in a cold bass boat trying to stay quiet so as not to scare the fish.

Flying- He taught himself to fly in a Cub and got extra hours for licensing by volunteering to fly cancelled checks from Wichita to Kansas City after long days at the service station he ran for many years. Later he became an airline pilot and an instructor. He really liked to interest young people in flying and to instruct them in flight safety. He wrote books about flight safety.

 Bill was my love and my best friend, the person I could always count on to make things right. He will be greatly missed. I wish you all could have known him better.

 Donna